Can you clean K-rend?

Yes. K-rend is soft washed with biocide and rinsed at low pressure — never pressure washed, since the coloured finish is thin enough to be damaged by force.

Will the biocide harm my plants or pets?

We cover or move planting before we start and are spill management trained to handle and dispose of chemicals properly, minimising any risk to plants, pets or the surrounding area.

What's involved in cleaning lichen off render?

Lichen is one of the more stubborn growths — it often needs a longer biocide dwell time than algae to break down properly. We treat it accordingly rather than rushing the rinse.

What render types can you clean?

K-rend, monocouche, pebbledash and traditional sand-and-cement render — each gets treated slightly differently depending on thickness and texture, but all are soft washed rather than pressure washed.

Is soft washing safe for older brick and lime mortar?

Yes — low pressure and steam are both gentler on lime mortar than a pressure washer would be, which matters on older brickwork where the pointing is softer than modern cement-based mortar.

How do I book a render or brick clean?

Call Trevor on 07501 060609 or send a few photos of the property — we'll give you a quote and get a date in the diary.

Render & Brickwork Cleaning, Seaham and Beyond

Algae and black streaking removed from render and brick in Seaham using biocide soft washing, never pressure washing. Call 07501 060609 for a free quote.

Green algae streaking down a render elevation, black fungal spotting creeping across pebbledash, lichen crusting onto exposed brick — render and brickwork in Seaham take a battering from damp, shade and salt-laden air, and pressure washing, the instinct of most contractors, cracks and blows render coats that were never built to take it.

We use soft washing and steam methods instead. A biocide treatment kills the growth at the root, a low-pressure rinse lifts dirt without forcing water behind the render, and the result actually lasts because the problem is gone, not just blasted off the surface for a few months.

Soft washing is the correct method: biocide does the cleaning, low pressure just rinses it away, and the render coat itself is never put under the kind of force a pressure washer generates.

Homeowners

Getting a property ready to sell or let

Render that's gone green or brick that's streaked black is one of the first things a buyer or tenant notices from the kerb, before they've even seen inside. A soft wash clean is one of the more cost-effective things you can do before photos or viewings — it lifts the whole look of the property for a fraction of what a repaint or re-render would cost.

How we clean render and brick, step by step

We start with a walk-round survey of the render or brick, checking render type, how established the algae or lichen growth is, and whether there's any cracking or damage worth noting before we start.

Biocide is applied first and left to dwell, breaking down algae, lichen and black streaking at the root rather than just knocking it off the surface. Once it's worked, we rinse at low pressure — or with steam on brick and stubborn black staining — lifting the dead growth away without forcing water behind the render or into old mortar joints.

Steam cleaning for brick and stubborn staining

Steam is used where black streaking or ingrained staining on brick needs extra lift beyond what biocide alone will shift. It works at high temperature rather than high pressure, which suits older brick and mortar that wouldn't take forceful water well.

How the process differs by surface

1
Render assessment
K-rend, monocouche, pebbledash and sand-and-cement each get treated slightly differently based on thickness and texture.
2
Brick and mortar check
Pointing condition is noted, especially on older lime-mortared brick, so pressure stays low enough not to erode it.
3
Biocide on render
Render gets a biocide soft wash with dwell time suited to how established the algae or lichen is.
4
Steam on brick
Brickwork with black streaking or ingrained staining often gets steam treatment for extra lift.
5
Rinse and inspect
Both surfaces are rinsed at low pressure and checked together before we finish up.

How far we travel

Seaham is around 8 miles south-east of our Washington base, comfortably inside the area we cover day-to-day, so there's no premium for distance on a job like this.

Nearby places we also cover

If you're weighing up a few quotes, it's worth knowing we also cover Ryhope, Silksworth and, so we're already familiar with the render and brick common to properties in this part of the area.

Render & Brick Cleaning (Soft Wash) near Seaham

Render & Brick Cleaning (Soft Wash) in Seaham — common questions

Never pressure washed, always soft washed — biocide treatment and low-pressure rinsing for render and brick in Seaham, with results that last because the growth is actually killed, not just moved.

Algae, lichen and black streaking don't need a pressure washer to shift — they need the right biocide treatment and a bit of patience. That's what we bring to every render and brick job in Seaham.

From Victorian brick terraces to modern K-rend estates, we adjust our soft wash approach to what's actually on the wall. Fully insured, biocide trained (2024), and covering Seaham and the surrounding area.

Fully insured, properly trained

Fully insured
Public liability cover in place for every job, render or brick, residential or commercial.
Biocide trained (2024)
Correct application rates and dwell times, not guesswork.
Asbestos awareness trained
Know what to look for and how to handle it on older properties.
Spill management trained
Chemicals handled and disposed of properly, not left to run off.

Call for a same-day answer

Call 07501 060609 and we'll usually be able to give you a rough price over the phone, based on property type and size.

Get started Call 07501060609

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Render & Brick Cleaning (Soft Wash) in Seaham — the elevation part-way through treatment, in the Durham County Council area

Render & Brick Cleaning (Soft Wash) in Seaham — the finished render drying in the sun, in the Durham County Council area